Author
Topic: fruitstand/ farm stand (Read 1796 times)

I would like to get back to the basics, growing my own vegetables, Poultry for eggs and meat and start a fruit stand in front of my home on a highway that is well traveled by hunters and tourists, what I wanted to know is if anyone else does it that is on this forum and if they do what are laws or anything I have to worry about for having a stand.

yup, it very much depends on where you are. i have a friend in another county and she has to jump through more hoops than i.

since you live in the land of regulation, check carefully.

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called “the government.” They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

I know in Florida the current rules allow you to sell boiled peanuts and whole fruits and vegetable without a permit, pretty much anything else requires a state permit. If you want to sell meat that you raise and slaughter yourself, it has to be done in a USDA inspected facility and the meat has to be stored and displayed are the correct temperature. To sell eggs, at a minimum, they must be washed which requires a triple compartment sink, a handwash sink and a mop sink, all with hot and cold running water. Eggs that have been washed, sized and graded can be sold in cartons. Eggs that have been wash but not sized or graded have to be sold in flats and must have a 7 inch by 7 inch placard/sign that reads "These eggs have not been graded as to quality and weight". Eggs that have NOT been washed CANNOT be sold for human consumption. The eggs must be kept refrigerated. No food is allowed to be prepared, processed or stored in a residence, it must all be done in or at a licensed facility.

Each state is different, however there are several 'grey' areas within the dept of ag code that may allow you to sell your eggs without all the red tape. You are selling a product (non value added)on the same property from which it was produced. Here, a consumer can go to a farm and buy eggs and other commodities without any problems. If I were to try and sell retail off the farm, then I would be held to all the regulations mentioned above. I have a Georgia Egg Candlers license and a Poultry License that allows me to sell at places like flea markets, etc. (Eggs have to be refridgerated to approx 41 degrees) As of right now, Tennessee has no such licensing requirements.